Discussion

Fed up with food magazines

So I pick up July's Gourmet, and I think to myself, hmmm, where's the REST of my magazine.... it's the thinnest issue ever I think. So, right after the holidays, advertising revenue is scarce so magazines are thinner but what's the excuse now??? I just galls me that I have to pay the same price for this flimsy excuse of an issue. What gives??? If I could, I would stick with Saveur and not buy anything else. I have been nothing but disappointed over and over again with both Bon Appetit and now Gourmet.

I stopped subscribing to Gourmet some time ago. But I have noticed that it's really inexpensive when you subscribe. I would refuse to pay full price at the checkout line. Especially when it's just $1.00 an issue with a subscription.

At $1.00 per issue, I wouldn't expect much from it. They probably aren't getting much in the way of advertisers and subscribers.

Totally agree with you about Gourmet. It has changed, and I'm not crazy about it. I never renewed my subscription about a year ago.

I still love Saveur -- has a lot of "ethnic" articles and recipes that I appreciate a lot. And I subscribe to Art Culinaire only for the food porn. I've only made one of the recipes, but a lot of the stuff there is not the most appropachable for the home cook.

I've always enjoyed Cook's Illustrated. Not the cheapest, but then it doesn't rely on advertising revenue. No full color food porn either.... but many of their illustrations on the back of the magazine covers are quite cute when framed for the kitchen.

The cost of printing paper has risen over 25% in less than 12 months. (The printing equivelent to $5.00 a gallon gasoline.) You'll see almost all publications--including newspapers--reformat and become smaller in size and page count.

July is always a thin month for magazines - and yes, because of advertising. (There's more content in a July issue than you think, but fewer ads and way less advertorial.) Rest assured, you will see the fat behemoths again in fall.

I concur -- July Gourmet arrived last week and seemed quite anemic. Summer is notoriously light on advertising, ergo a thinner mag. They'll get beefier as we approach the holidays. I subscribe to just about all the mainstream food 'zines, but Im growing fonder of Saveur with every issue. The writing is as tasty as the pictures.